Spring Onion Parathas

          After the Spring Onion And Cabbage Kurma, these parathas is another dish I made using spring onions. They were really very flavorful, very easy to prepare and would pair very well with almost any side dish. These parathas are an excellent choice when you want to make something, a little different from the regular roti but not very time consuming..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Spring Onions - 2 cups
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the spring onions and saute till all the liquid dries up.

          Make a soft dough with the flour, salt, chilly, turmeric, black pepper and roasted cumin powders and keep it aside for 15 to 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 portions.

          Take one ball of dough, roll out into a thin disc, spread a little bit of the spring onions, and press slightly with the rolling pin or with your hand.

          Heat a skillet, using a little oil, cook the rolled out parathas on both sides, till light brown spots appear.

Note
You can use the sauteed spring onions as a stuffing and then roll out, but it turns out a little messy.

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Mooli Parathas/ Radish Flat Breads

          One more week in the US, then back to India, then a move, locally from Chennai to Bangalore, it's going to be pretty hectic for the next month or two, before we settle down, until then, hopefully I have enough posts in draft, to keep my blog going. Today's post, also from draft, is Mooli Parathas/ Radish Flat Breads. There are a couple of versions in this, some using grated raw radish, some using sauteed radish, I prefer the latter, it's less messy to roll out parathas using sauteed radish. I have used my own version of the filling, using some powdered roasted peanuts, making it a little more tasty and nutritious and they tasted very good with the cucumber raitha and mango chunda..

Need To Have
For The Dough

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
• Radish Juice - 1/2 cup
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

For The Filling

• Radish ( after lightly squeezing the juice ) - 1 cup
• Roasted Peanuts - 2 tablespoons, powdered
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 11/2 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 11/2 tablespoon
• Grated Ginger - 2 teaspoons
• Salt - to taste

Radish Juice - I had used the juice squeezed out before adding in the filling.

Method

          Heat some oil, add the grated ginger and asafoetida, saute for half a minute, then add the grated radish, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder and salt, saute well till it gives out all the water and becomes dry. Now add the peanut powder and chopped coriander, mix it well and keep.

          Mix the flour with the salt, chilly and turmeric powders, adding the radish juice ( a little at a time ), make a soft dough, apply a teaspoon of oil, cover and keep for at least 15 minutes. Divide the dough and the filling into 6 equal portions.

           Take a ball of dough, roll it slightly, place the filling in the center and close it as shown.

           Place the side where we have closed the dough, facing up, and dusting some flour, roll it out into discs.

          Heat a skillet, place the rolled out disc, wait till you see small bubbles, flip it, apply some oil, flip it again, apply oil on the second side, cook it till brown spots appear on the bottom side. Flip it the third time and cook on the other side too. Remove and serve with a raitha or plain yogurt/ curd and pickle.

Note
I prefer cooking the parathas, flipping it only thrice, while cooking, you can press the parathas with the back of the ladle, if the parathas are rolled out well, it'll puff up.
If you don't like peanuts or are allergic to it,  can use some roasted besan/ gram flour in it's place.
Can replace the chopped coriander with chopped mint, and also can add some finely chopped green chillies along with the grated ginger, for a little more spicy taste.

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Dal Parathas/ Flat Breads With Lentil Filling

          Dal Parathas, flat breads stuffed with a lentil filling, I had tasted this so many years back, during our stay in Singapore. Whenever I made polis/ flatbreads stuffed with a sweet lentil filling, I had always wanted to try out a savory version with a spicy lentil filling, this is the first time I made it. I have used split moong dal and added some minced ginger and coriander to add some flavor to the filling. It was very filling and makes a complete meal with a vegetable curry..

Need To Have
For The Outer Layer

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
• Salt

For The Filling

• Split, Husked Moong Dal/ Green Gram - 1/2 cup
• Green Chilly - 1
• Chopped Ginger - 2 teaspoons
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 3 tablespoons
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Method

          Make a soft dough with the whole wheat flour, salt and water, keep it aside. Soak the moong dal for an hour, cook it with about 2 cups of water on medium heat, till done and all the water is gone, mash and keep. Grind coarsely the green chilly, coriander leaves and ginger.

          Heat some oil, add the asafoetida powder, followed by the ground mixture, mix for about a minute. Add the coriander powder and salt, mix it well.

          Reduce the heat and mix in the cooked dal. Remove and cool a little and divide the dough and the filling into 6 portions.

          Roll out the dough a little, place the filling, close the dough as shown, dusting with some flour, roll it out as thinly as possible.

          Cook on a hot skillet/ tawa, applying some oil, till you see gold spots on both sides. Remove and serve warm.

Note
Always flip the flatbreads only thrice to get it soft, once when you see it bubbling slightly, flip, apply oil, flip, apply oil on the other side and cook till the first side is done, then flip and cook the second side and remove.
You can even add some grated garlic instead of asfoetida to the filling and mint instead of coriander.

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Methi Thepla/ Flat Breads With Fenugreek Leaves

          My last post was Mango Chunda/ Chutney, and I had mentioned there, that, I had made Methi Theplas to go with it or vice versa. Theplas are basically flatbreads made with a dough which is made of wheat flour and yogurt/curd along with some spices. Though I had tasted it a couple of times, I really fell in love with it, when I tasted them at my friend's place, her mother had made them and brought with her when she had travelled from India to the US. They tasted simply too good, and I didn't hesitate a moment to ask her the recipe. I made it last week for lunch along with the Chunda and we simply loved it..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
• Chopped Methi/ Fenugreek Leaves - 1/2 cup
• White Sesame Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Yogurt/ Curd - 1/4 cup + 2 or 3 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Sugar - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Take the flour, fenugreek leaves and sesame seeds in a bowl and mix it. In another bowl, take the 1/4 cup yogurt ( warmed for 20 secs in the microwave), add the turmeric, chilly and coriander powders, salt, sugar and asafoetida, mix it nicely. 

          Now add this to the flour and bring it together to form the dough, at this point you might need the extra 2 or 3 teaspoons of extra yogurt to get a nice smooth and soft dough. Apply some oil and leave it covered for at least 30 minutes. Divide them into 8 portions. Dusting some flour, roll them into thin discs. 

          Place it on a hot skillet, when you notice it bubbling up slightly, flip it, brush some oil and flip it immediately. Brush some oil on the second side, and once the first side gets light brown spots, flip it one last time and cook the other side till it gets the brown spots. Stack the theplas, one over the other, this way they retain their softness. Serve it warm with some Chunda or any side dish of your choice.

Note

Fresh or frozen fenugreek leaves are available in Indian grocery stores, both work well for making these theplas, if you don't find them, replace them with spinach and some kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves.

My red chilly powder is really spicy, you can add a little more if needed.

While making the theplas, flip it only thrice like I have mentioned, that way you'll get softer theplas.

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Cabbage And Capsicum Parathas/ Stuffed Flatbreads

          Weekend lunches are always special, if it's rice, then it'll be some kind of pilaf or briyani, or some special curry or side dish that usually takes a little more work. If it's not rice, then it's some kind of parathas, I prefer these very much, for one reason, since the parathas themselves have a nice filling, the side dish can be very simple, sometimes just plain curd and pickle. The other reason being, I need not worry about my daughter eating her vegetables, the parathas have them already, and she likes them this way. For this Capsicum And Cabbage Parathas, I have sauteed both the vegetables together, and I have used roasted chana dal powder to bind them, at the same time, adding some protein to the dish. I have rolled out the parathas a little differently, they tasted good with just plain curd and pickle or even with  Tomato Thokku..

Need To Have
For The Dough

• Whole Wheat Flour - 11/2 cups
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Ajwain Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

For The Filling

• Shredded Cabbage - 3 cups
• Capsicum - 1 cup, finely chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

Make A Powder

• Roasted Chana Dal - 2 tablespoons
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Make a soft dough with all the ingredients given under 'for the dough' along with some water, apply some oil and leave it to rest for half an hour, in the meantime, we can make the stuffing.

          Powder all the ingredients given under 'make a powder'. Heat some oil, add the mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, reduce the heat and add the turmeric, chilly and coriander powders, along with the asafoetida, mix for a few seconds.

          Then immediately add the capsicum and cabbage pieces, and saute till they get cooked well, for like about 5 to 7 minutes. At this stage, add the powder and mix for another minute, remove and cool.

          Divide the dough into 6 parts, also make six parts of the filling, you might have some filling left.

          Dusting some flour, roll out one ball into a disc ( about 6 to 7 inches in diameter). Spread the filling in the center.

          Now start folding as shown, bring two opposite edges together, one overlapping the other, press slightly. Now fold the other two sides, so that you form a rectangular pocket. Now dust some flour, and roll very lightly, as much as you can without the filling coming out.

          Heat a skillet, place a rolled paratha, cook on both sides, applying some oil, remove and serve warm.

Note
While cooking the paratha, don't flip it too many times, only thrice, flip once, apply oil, flip the second time, apply oil on the other side, while the first side gets cooked, then flip the last time and cook the other side.
Though there is 4 cups of vegetables totally, they shrink when they are sauteed, make sure the vegetables are  done but not over cooked.
Roasted chana dal is available in all Indian grocery stores.

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Keerai Paneer Parathas/Spinach Cottage Cheese Flatbreads

          I had got this bunch of arai keerai, a type of greens like spinach and mustard greens. I had wanted to do the Keerai Masial and rice, but my daughter didn't want to have rice that day. I had to use the spinach the same day and I had some paneer in the freezer, so put the the two together and made these Keerai/Spinach Paneer Parathas. They came out very well, we had it with some tomato thokku and curd..

Need To Have
For The Filling

• Chopped Keerai/Spinach - 3 cups
• Paneer - 1/2 cup scrambled
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste

For The Outer Layer

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 + 1/2 cups
• Ajwain - 1 + 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Method
          Mix the flour, ajwain, salt and turmeric powder, add water little by little and make a soft dough, cover and leave it. Coarsely pound the cumin seeds.

          Heat some oil, add the cumin seeds, when it starts sizzling, add the turmeric and chilly powders, immediately followed by the spinach and salt, cover and cook for about 5 or 7 minutes till the spinach gets cooked. It should be dry, if there is water, cook it uncovered till it dries out.

          Now mix in the paneer for about a minute, remove and cool. Make ten balls out of the dough and the inner filling.

          Roll out a small circle, place one filling  and press it slightly. then close the dough over it and make a flat ball with it.

          Now, dusting with some flour roll out into discs, put it on a hot tawa or skillet, cook on both sides with some oil. Serve it warm with any pickle.

Note
While rolling out after stuffing with the filling, roll it on the side that you close, it's easier and the filling doesn't come out that much.
Only flip the parathas three times while cooking, first you place the paratha, after half a minute, make the first flip, apply some oil, make the second flip and apply oil on the other side. Once the bottom side gets some brown spots, flip the third time and cook the other side.
If you don't have ajwain/bishop weed just ignore it.
You can use any kind of greens, just make sure the filling comes out dry.

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Ajwain Paratha/Indian Flat Bread With Bishop's Weed

           Since it's Karthikai Deepam festival today and more work, thought I'll post a simple recipe. Though simple to make these ajwain parathas are very flavorful and goes very well with any type of gravy or vegetable curry. Ajwain also known as bishop's weed/carom seeds is said to be good for the digestive system and is commonly used in the Indian cuisine. One of the easiest way to include ajwain in the diet is adding them to these parathas, so simple and tasty..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1+1/2 cups
• Ajwain - 1 +1/2 teaspoon
• Curd Or Yogurt - 2 tablespoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Method

          Take the flour, salt, curd, ajwain, turmeric and chilly powders, mix it till you get a crumbly mix. Now add water little by little and make a soft dough, apply some oil, cover and leave it for 1/2 an hour. Then divide it into 10 balls.

          Dusting with some flour, first roll it into a small circle, apply a little oil, fold it into a semicircle, apply a little oil, fold it again.

          Now roll this out into a triangle and place it on a hot tawa or skillet and cook on both sides with a little oil till you get light brown spots. Serve it warm with any curry or vegetable of your choice.

Note
Can make the dough with curd only, without adding water, or vegan with only water.
While cooking the parathas, flip it only thrice, first time when you get small bubbles on the bottom side, flip, apply oil, flip it immediately and apply oil on the other side, meanwhile the bottom side will get light brown spots, now flip the third time and cook the other side till it gets brown spots, this way you'll get soft parathas.

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Basil Pesto Parathas

          I need not mention again and again how much I like basil, simply love it in all forms, fresh or dry. I like to use the fresh leaves or in their absence, the basil pesto, now available in Chennai too. Apart from using it in pasta and in sandwiches, I wanted to try out something else with it. So this Sunday, I tried out these parathas with it, you can use the store bought pesto or make your own, recipe here. They are very easy to make and very flavorful..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour - 1 + 1/2 cups
• Basil Pesto - 1 + 1/2 tablespoons

Method

          Add the pesto to the flour and mix it, then add water little by little and make a soft dough, keep it covered for 1/2 an hour. Divide the dough into 8 balls, roll it out into round discs.

           Place one on a hot skillet, when the bottom side gets light brown spots, flip it over. When the other sides gets nice brown spots, remove it and put it on the special phulka plate (the side with the dark brown spots facing up) or directly on the flame. When it puffs up slightly, remove it and serve it with any curry.

Note
If your homemade pesto or store bought pesto is too grainy ( nutty) grind it slightly before adding it to the flour, otherwise it might be a little difficult to roll out.
The rolled out parathas will be like slightly thick tortillas.
I didn't add any salt as the pesto itself has enough salt in it.
The olive oil and the cheese in the pesto is enough, but if you feel you need more oil, apply some olive oil on the cooked parathas before serving.

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Beetroot Parathas

          As I have already said, parathas are not an everyday thing in my house, I mostly do them for weekend  brunch or lunch. We can come up with so many varieties of parathas by being a little creative with the filling. I usually make beet parathas by adding them to the flour along with other spices, but for today's paratha I tried a slightly different version. I made a paruppu usili ( lentil curry) with the beets and then used that as a filling, in the process, making the parathas a little more nutritious with protein, thereby making it a complete meal with some curds or raitha..

Need To Have
For The Outer Layer

• Whole Wheat Flour - 2 + 1/2 cups
• Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
• Oil - 1 teaspoon

For The Filling

• Grated Beets - 1 cup packed
• Tuvar Dal (Split Pigeon Peas) - 1/2 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 3
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon

Method
          Soak the tuvar dal for an hour, then grind it with the red chillies and the curry leaves, adding as little water as possible. Mix the flour with the salt and enough water to make a soft dough, apply the oil and keep it aside.

         Heat a little oil, add the grated beets and salt, saute it till it turns dry, remove it. Heat oil one more time, add the mustard and cumin seeds, once it splutters, add the asafoetida and the ground tuvar dal, saute it continuously till you get a dry crumble like texture. At this stage mix in the beets and mix well, check for salt, if there are any lumps break them with the back of a spoon, let it cool a bit.

          Roll out slightly a lemon size ball of the dough, keep a tablespoon and half of the filling, close the dough over, make a ball, flatten and dusting it in some flour, roll out again slowly into a slightly thick disc. Heat a skillet, put the rolled out paratha, wait for 1/2 a second, flip, apply some oil, flip immediately, apply some oil on the other side, while waiting for the first side to get brown spots. Now flip it and cook the second side till brown spots appear, remove and serve warm with any pickle and raitha or curd.

Note
See to that, the filling is not wet.
While rolling out the paratha with the filling, roll as lightly as possible, starting on the side you close the dough over the filling, then at the end, flip and roll on the other side.
You can get about 10 parathas with the above quantity of ingredients.

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